Dancing With the Starsis waltzing into a new season with a brand-new set of voting rules.
During the Sept. 15 premiere, hostAlfonso Ribeirorevealed that fanshaveto be extra specific when votingduring season 35 becausethe cast includes two stars with the same name:The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ConnerLeavitt, who is paired withAdeleZaikman, and comedianConnorWood, who is paired withRyleeArnold.
“This is important since we have two stars with the same first name,” Ribeiro explained at the top of the episode. “For these two stars—and only these two—you have to include the first letter of their last name when you text. To vote for Conner Leavitt and Adele, textConnerL. To vote for Connor Wood andRylee, text Connor W.”
He confirmed that first names are still acceptable for text voting for all the othercontestants,including their fellow male starsEzraFrench,GuillermoRodriguez,Harry Shum Jr.,JacksonOlson,Taylor HansonandTylerCameronwhoare competing during the night one premiere.
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Another big voting change for the premiere episode? CohostJulianne Houghshared an update later on that voting was down on the ABC website, leadingDWTSto throw out all online votes for the episodeand base results solely on texts.
Ribeiro noted, “Please make sure to text all of your votes for tonight and tonight only.”
“That was a switch up,” he exclaimed, to which Hough replied, “Did we break it with the voting? This is kinda rad.”
Ribeiro quipped, “We’re breaking stuff around here.”
Still, even with votingtroubles, theshow didn’t miss a beat as the male contestants danced their hearts out to a Billboard number one hit from the year of their birth.
Olson, a Savannah Banana player, tookto the stage first, dancingthe Cha-Chato theSpice Girls’1996 hit “Wannabe” with partnerEmmaSlater, earning a combined 15 points from judgesCarrieAnnInaba,BrunoTonioliandDerekHough.
“Remember, the judges did mention that they are gonna start a little bit lower with scores,” Hough explained. “So nobody should be freaking out just yet.”
To see all the stars competing to take home the famed mirror ball trophy on season 35 ofDancing With the Stars, keep reading.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Disney/Andrew Eccles
“Looks are not indicative of being in shape,” Ciara exclusively told E! News in June. “I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina.”
“I have a vision board and I redo it every year,” she told E! News in May. “This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year’s Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board.”
